The Wisdom of Giving Chapter Five

Chapter Five

The Fifth Question: What Is Pure Giving?

第五章 第五问：什么是清净布施？

Original Sutra

大仙問言。何者淨施。佛言大仙。若人有信緣於眾生。而生慈心常心喜心。捨物布施。彼一切淨若願解脫。如是布施則為清淨。

復有五種無上布施。何等為五。一施如來則為無上。二施眾僧則為無上。三施法器則為無上。四施父母則為無上。五施王者失位貧窮則為無上。如是施者是上布施。

若施老人孤獨病急。是大布施。若為王瞋一向捨棄繫縛欲殺。若諸急難為救彼故不顧自命。為捨財物是大布施。施病人藥是大布施。若於持戒具足眾僧。隨時施與是大布施。施求智人是大布施。若施畜生有怖畏者。所謂訓狐烏鹿等畜是大布施。若人貧急施隨所須是大布施。大仙當知。此為大施。常應正修。

若復有人為他所遣持物布施。即有淨心同得施福。若復有人見他布施。心生隨喜。亦得施福。若人勸施。若人施物。如是等人。皆得大福。

After listening to the Buddha's teaching, Veda Vyasa asked his final question:

"What is pure giving?"

The Buddha replied:

"Great Sage, if a person has faith, regards all living beings with compassion, always gives with a joyful heart, and willingly offers what he possesses, such giving is pure. Whoever aspires to liberation should practise generosity in this way."

From the Buddha's teaching, pure giving may be understood through four qualities.

Four Qualities of Pure Giving

1. Give with compassion.

2. Give with respect.

3. Be willing to help all living beings without any conditions.

4. Give constantly with kindness and joy.

Only pure giving becomes the path that leads us beyond suffering and toward liberation.

The Buddha then described Five Supreme Acts of Giving.

Five Supreme Acts of Giving

1. Giving to the Enlightened One (the Buddha).

2. Giving to the Saṅgha.

3. Giving to those who are worthy of receiving and practising the Dharma.

4. Giving to one's parents.

5. Giving to rulers or noble people who have lost their position and fallen into poverty.

The Buddha further described Seven Great Acts of Giving.

Seven Great Acts of Giving

1. Helping the elderly, the lonely, the sick, and those in urgent need.

2. Saving those facing death or great danger, even at the sacrifice of one's own life or wealth.

3. Providing medicine to the sick.

4. Supporting sincere practitioners who uphold the precepts.

5. Supporting those who seek wisdom and learning.

6. Protecting frightened animals.

7. Helping anyone in urgent need, regardless of wealth or social status.

Finally, the Buddha taught Three Additional Ways of Sharing the Merit of Giving.

Three Additional Ways of Sharing Merit

1. Helping to carry out another person's act of giving with the same pure intention.

2. Rejoicing sincerely in the generosity of others.

3. Encouraging others to practise generosity.

The Buddha concluded:

"Those who help others give, rejoice in the generosity of others, or encourage generosity all receive great merit."

听完佛陀前面的开示之后，毗耶娑提出了最后一个问题：

“什么是清净布施？”

佛陀回答说：

“大仙，如果一个人具足信心，对一切众生生起慈悲心，常怀欢喜心，乐于布施自己所有的一切，这样的布施，就是清净布施。凡是希望获得解脱的人，都应当如此布施。”

根据佛陀的开示，清净布施具有四个特点。

清净布施的四个特点

1. 以慈悲心布施。

2. 以恭敬心布施。

3. 无条件地帮助一切众生。

4. 常怀善意与欢喜心，坚持布施。

唯有清净布施，才能帮助我们远离烦恼，走向解脱。

随后，佛陀又讲述了五种无上布施。

五种无上布施

1. 布施如来。

2. 布施僧团。

3. 布施堪受法者。

4. 布施父母。

5. 布施失去王位、陷于贫困的人。

接着，佛陀又讲述了七种大施。

七种大施

1. 帮助年老、孤独、患病及急难中的人。

2. 救护面临死亡或重大危险的人，不惜舍弃自己的生命或财物。

3. 为病人提供医药。

4. 护持持戒修行的人。

5. 资助求学、求智的人。

6. 救护受到惊恐的动物。

7. 帮助一切急难中的人，不论贫富贵贱。

最后，佛陀告诉我们，还有三种人同样能够获得布施的福德。

三种人亦有施福

1. 受人委托，以同样清净的发心代为布施的人。

2. 真心随喜他人布施的人。

3. 劝导他人行善布施的人。

佛陀最后说道：

“凡是代人布施、随喜他人布施，或劝导他人布施的人，都能够获得广大的福德。”

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Editor's Reflection

May these ancient teachings continue to inspire hearts of compassion and acts of selfless giving for generations to come. May generosity become a quiet force that connects people across cultures and generations, bringing greater kindness, wisdom, and peace into the world.

— Jian Geyang

Further Reading

This chapter presents only selected passages from the Buddhist scriptures.

The Chinese Buddhist Canon preserves one of the world's most complete collections of Buddhist scriptures. While many original Indic texts have been lost over the centuries, their Chinese translations have been carefully transmitted and preserved, becoming an indispensable source for the study and practice of Buddhism. Although English translations continue to grow, only a small portion of this vast canon is currently available to English readers.

For those who are able to read Chinese, the original Chinese scriptures offer a far richer and more comprehensive gateway to Buddhist wisdom. We hope these selected passages will encourage readers to continue exploring the Buddhist Canon in its broader context.

编者寄语

愿这些古老的教诲，持续启迪后人，以慈悲之心广行布施。愿布施超越语言与文化，成为连接人与人之间的善意，在世间播撒更多的慈悲、智慧与安宁。

—— 简歌扬

延伸阅读

本章所选，仅为佛教经典中的部分经文节选。

汉文大藏经保存了世界上最完整的佛教经典体系之一。许多古代印度佛典在历史长河中已经散佚，而其汉译经典却得以完整保存，并世代流传，成为研究和理解佛法不可或缺的重要依据。尽管近年来英文译本不断增加，但相对于浩瀚的大藏经而言，目前能够阅读到的内容仍然十分有限。

对于具备中文阅读能力的读者，直接研读汉文经典，将更有助于理解佛法完整的思想体系与文化传承。愿本章成为一个起点，引领读者继续走进浩瀚的佛教经典，亲近其恒久而深远的智慧。